After underperforming in 2012, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s third busiest airport, Banja Luka, is hoping to secure new flights to Vienna in the coming months. The airport is currently only served by B&H Airlines to Zurich. The airport’s management has written to Austrian Airlines, encouraging it to resume flights to the city. On Tuesday Nedeljko Čubrilović, the Minister for Transport in the entity government, met with the Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina to discuss thepotential of flights between Banja Luka and Vienna.

In 2012 Banja Luka welcomed only 6.424 passengers, a decrease of 23.2% on the year before. Throughout last year, the airport attempted to attract new customers. During the summer it proposed for Jat Airways to make a stop in Banja Luka on its flights to the Croatian coast, however, the airline declined. It once again attempted to lure Jat late last year by offering hefty subsidies for services to Belgrade and Vienna but to no avail. Furthermore, it was rejected by the small regional airline Di Air to launch charters from Tivat during the summer.

Late last year Banja Luka Airport also held talks with Wizz Air over potential flights from Malmo, although the outcome of the talks is still unknown. At the time, the acting CEO of the Airports of Republika Srpska company, Davorin Mihić, said, “If they are willing to launch year long flights we will put tickets on sale in January while the flights will launch in April”. In December 2012, the entity government decided to close down Sky Srpska, an airline planned to be based in Banja Luka. The airport is far from its glory days of the late 1990s when it had scheduled services not only to Vienna but also to Belgrade, Athens, Tivat and Salzburg. It was once served by the likes of Austrian Airlines, Montenegro Airlines and Air Srpska. In 2012, Banja Luka Airport handled fewer passengers than other comparable airports in the region such as Niš and Brač.

Flights between Banja Luka and Belgrade are planned to commence by December 2012, the Prime Ministers of Serbia and the entity of Republika Srpska said after a meeting in Banja Luka yesterday. It is believed that Jat Airways will be offered up to four million euros to operate the service two to three times per week in the coming winter period with an ATR 72. The airline was supposed to launch flights between the two cities and operate services from Banja Luka to Vienna this summer season but cancelled such plans at the last minute due to a fleet shortage.

With Banja Luka Airport struggling with financial problems and a lack of passengers, the airport proposed for Jat to operate some of its seasonal flights to Pula, Dubrovnik and Split via Banja Luka earlier this year. The Serbian carrier rejected the offer. Jat Airways has operated flights to Banja Luka on and off for several years. Services were cancelled each time due to extremely poor loads. It remains to be seen whether the new route launch will materialise as Bosnia and Herzegovina is heading to the polls for local elections this Sunday and many promises are unlikely to be kept, as is often the case in politics.

Banja Luka Airport only recently secured the extension of its international operating license until 2014. In the first eight months of 2012 the airport handled only 3.857 passengers, down 32.4% compared to the same period last year. B&H Airlines remains its only customer. The national carrier plans to operate four weekly flights to Zurich via Banja Luka this winter season.

After months of uncertainty, Banja Luka Airport’s international operating license has been extended until August 20, 2014, effectively keeping the airport open for at lest another two years. The decision came after the entity government approved a 1.7 million euro cash injection for the airport in order for it to maintain its international operating license. The money will be used to finance shortcomings at the airport, which include the lengthening of taxiways, purchase of new security equipment and the installation of a new security fence.

The airport’s aim will now be to attract much needed customers. Banja Luka continues to be served by four weekly B&H Airlines flights to Zurich. The Bosnian national carrier plans to maintain the four weekly service during the 2012/13 winter season. The airport hopes to begin negotiations with Austrian over the potential launch of flights to Vienna next year. Today, the airport is far from its glory days of the late 1990s when it had scheduled services not only to Vienna but also to Belgrade, Athens, Tivat and Salzburg. It was once served by the likes of Austrian Airlines, Montenegro Airlines and Air Srpska.

Banja Luka has seen its passenger numbers significantly decline throughout 2012. In July the airport welcomed only 589 passengers, down 58% on the same month last year. As a result, Banja Luka Airport was the fourth busiest airport in the country, being surpassed by Tuzla which, unlike Banja Luka, has no scheduled traffic. Overall, the airport handled 3.169 passengers in the first seven months of the year, down 33.5% on 2011.

The entity government of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina has approved a 1.7 million euro cash injection for Banja Luka Airport in order for it to maintain its international operating license. The money will be used to finance shortcomings at the airport, which include the lengthening of taxiways, purchase of new security equipment and the installation of a new security fence. The airport has only a month to carry out the necessary work before an international monitoring body decides whether the airport is fit to continue serving commercial flights.

It is not the first time the airport has been given additional funds on top of the allocated annual budget of nearly half a million euros. Banja Luka Airport welcomed 2.580 passengers in the first half of the year, down 27.5% on 2011. The airport is served by four weekly B&H Airlines flights from Sarajevo, which continue on to Zurich. Continue Reading

Banja Luka Airport has been given a final lifeline before it loses its international operating license. The airport was ordered to fulfil several technical requirements by June 20 including the lengthening of taxiways, purchase of new security equipment and the installation of a new security fence in order to keep its license. However, none of these requirements have been met. The airport has now been given another two months by international monitors to do so. If it fails to adhere to international standards it will lose its license, effectively forcing the airport to close.

Banja Luka Airport has said it does not have the money to finance the needed upgrades. The airport faced similar problems last year, while its employees have also staged several protests over unpaid wages. A total of 460.100 euros is allocated for the airport on an annual basis, while the entity government has been forced to inject additional funds in the past few years.

Banja Luka Airport is currently served only by B&H Airlines. In 2011 Adria Airways operated subsidised flights from Ljubljana to Banja Luka but cancelled the service once the subsidies dried up. The airport has announced that it plans to negotiate with Austrian Airlines later this summer for the carrier to restart flights from Vienna in 2013. Jat Airways was invited to launch flights from Belgrade and onwards to Vienna this summer season but the Serbian national carrier’s fleet is stretched to the limit with its existing network. Meanwhile, talks with Di Air to launch summer charters from Tivat have broken down with the airline showing little interest for the route.